Vibration motors are well known in wireless telephones. They are typically used in situations where the user does not want an incoming call to activate an audible ringer and therefore switches the phone to the vibration mode. In the vibration mode an incoming call activates activates the motor and the resultant vibration is felt by the user as an indication of the incoming call.
Existing vibrating motors are difficult to assemble in the phone casing. Also, retention of the vibration motor once assembled is also difficult as the means for locking the motor in the housing is typically unable to cope with the vibrations resulting from the activity of the motor. If such a motor becomes loose within the phone casing it may damage the phone itself or other components within the casing. There is also a problem in that the existing vibration motor holders do not adequately transfer the vibrations to the casing and to the user, resulting in the possibility of the phone user missing the vibration and the call effecting the vibration.
Known vibration motors are typically housed within the casing by securing them with clips to corresponding holders within the casing. Other known holders not specifically designed for vibrator motors include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,211,579 and 5,830,007 of the present assignee, and U.S. Pat Nos. 5,586,907 and 5,980,309 assigned to the Whitaker Corporation. These all describe a connector for mounting a cylindrical electrical device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,579, a battery holder or housing is described. The holder is adapted to contain a cylindrical battery, the battery being inserted into the holder in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. The battery is held in place at one end by a round shoulder overhanging one end of the battery and at the other end by a detent in a flexible terminal which engages a projection at the opposite end of the battery.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,907 describes an alternative battery connector, this connector adapted to constrain a disk shaped battery. The battery is inserted in a direction parallel to its longitudinal axis. The battery is held in place by two opposed pliable locking arms which clip over the cylindrical wall of the battery.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,007, a microphone device is inserted in a direction parallel to its longitudinal axis. A flexible locking arm contacts the circumferential surface of the microphone forcing the microphone into an interference fit in the housing. The locking arm also has a flange overhanging a portion of the flat surface of the microphone.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,309, an alternative holder for disk shaped batteries is described. The battery is inserted in a direction parallel to its longitudinal axis, and is held in the housing with one pair of fixed arms with flanges which hand over one peripheral end of the device and with a pair of flexible arms with flanges which hang over an opposite peripheral end of the device.
Although these known holders are not designed specifically for holding vibration motors, a designer may consider the adaptation of the housing for such purposes. Such adaptation of the devices would not offer satisfactory retention of the vibrator motor, as the housings are not suited for retaining devices that actively vibrate. Therefore a need exists for a holder for electrical devices, the holder being adapted to securely retain the electrical device within a retained position.